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The impact of a brief and immersive use-of-force training exercise on citizens’ attitudes toward police

M. Lyn Exum (Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA)
Joseph B. Kuhns (Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA)
Shelley L. Johnson (Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA)
Samuel E. DeWitt (American Institutes for Research, Arlington, Virginia, USA)

Policing: An International Journal

ISSN: 1363-951X

Article publication date: 9 October 2024

Issue publication date: 6 November 2024

53

Abstract

Purpose

Citizens’ attitudes toward police (ATP) have declined dramatically in recent years, prompting many agencies to implement police–community relations programs designed to build back the community’s trust. Such programs are often time-intensive, requiring many hours to complete. The current study examined the impact of a brief (approximately 15 minutes) community relations intervention on citizens’ ATP and police use of force (UoF).

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 104 citizens completed three UoF training exercises (i.e., the intervention) inside a video simulator at a municipal police department. Immediately before and after the intervention, citizens’ ATP and police UoF were recorded.

Findings

Despite having relatively favorable impressions of police at baseline, many attitudes grew to be more favorable following the intervention, including perceptions of job difficulty and the belief that police are treated too harshly by the media. While global impressions of the police did not change, citizens came to believe that greater UoF levels were warranted in specific types of encounters, such as when a suspect tries to strike an officer.

Originality/value

These findings suggest that providing citizens with an opportunity to experience UoF decision-making first-hand can positively impact certain ATP and police work. Law enforcement agencies may find that such brief, immersive interventions are useful tools for improving police–community relations.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the National Institute of Justice (No: 2017-R2-CX-0030). The authors thank Police Chief Dexter Wilson for his time, insight and support of this project and Shannon Messer and Gillian Munoz for their assistance in data coding.

Citation

Exum, M.L., Kuhns, J.B., Johnson, S.L. and DeWitt, S.E. (2024), "The impact of a brief and immersive use-of-force training exercise on citizens’ attitudes toward police", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 47 No. 6, pp. 1225-1243. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-03-2024-0027

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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